Books and most important a somehow grumpy cat

The anxious manic novelist: doing an MA

by Sam Taylor-Pye

I started writing my novel the summer before starting an MA in creative writing. I had my main character pretty fleshed out. The storyline was chugging along nicely. And some of the dialogue scenes I felt were sounding impressive. I figured the degree was where I’d hone my already amazing skills and by the end I’d have, not only a certificate, but also a NYT bestseller, and possibly a lucrative deal with Netflix.

So when October came around, and classes started, I was feeling fairly confident and eager to get going.

The first thing we had to do was submit a novel synopsis, and a couple of first chapters for something called a ‘critique’. I wasn’t worried. In fact I was elated.

Euphoric even.

What I didn’t know was two things. First, I had a severe vitamin b deficiency, so…